Drop The Stone | “The Root Cause” Sermon

Series: “Drop The Stone:  Sermon:  “The Root Cause”

“A study of people ages 16–29 in the United States found that nearly 90 percent of respondents articulated the opinion that Christians are Judgemental.”  Barna Research 

In an October 2022 Barna survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, three out of four (74%) say they want to grow spiritually. Additionally, the same proportion (77%) say they believe in a higher power. Nearly half (44%) say they are more open to God today than before the pandemic.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.   Mother Terresa

Matthew 7:1 (NLT) “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

Suffering is built into the structure of being self-righteous.

The Sin of Judgement will always make its way back to you.

It’s not someone else or the system that needs to be fixed. (JUDGED or ATTACKED)

The only solution is sacrificial love, ascribing unsurpassable worth to others.

Katakrino:— against and judge, casting down, placing below, esteeming yourself better than.

Unhealthy comparison. Pride

In the privacy of our own mind or with a group we look down on others by feeding off the contrast.

Love:— ascribing worth to another at the cost to oneself.

Judgement:— ascribing worth to yourself at the cost of another.

John 13:34  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you,…”

L  – Listen Intently.  O – Offer Support.    V  – Voice Honesty.     E  – Esteem Greater

Hebrews 5:14 “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Diakrisis:— to discern or distinguish not for the purpose of passing judgment on opinions, but as to which one is to be preferred as the more correct.

The meat sauce or the marinara.

TWO TREES. —  In Christ or In Adam. — Law or Grace

Genesis 1:28  NKJV “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

TLV “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the land, and conquer it.”    (Kawbash)

Genesis 2:15 “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”

Shamar:— to keep, guard, keep watch and ward, protect, save life and protect … 

What are they guarding against?  God’s Enemies.  Talking snakes!

Mankind is a part of the eternal purpose of God to once and for all put the KIBOSH on all evil and guard against it’s intrusion!!!

The devil wasn’t going to just sit back and let this happen. He attacked God’s plan right away.

Genesis 2:16-17  “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 3:4 “Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”

“Original sin” was eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

The sin of pursuing LIFE (our identity, worth, significance and security) for ourselves, apart from God.  An attempt to know what only God can rightly know.   

Satan’s challenge to Adam and Eve was, don’t you want to be Godly, knowing right and wrong?

The fruit of self was introduced to mankind. INDEPENDENCE 

We have the ability to now determine what is right and wrong. We will self govern!  MORALISM

Genesis 3:7-8 “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day,…”

“…and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”

Fallen mindset: God is going to kill us!

They instead became accusers of God, themselves and each other.

Authentic Christianity is about union and communion with God.

Knowledge of Good and Evil was prohibited: They didn’t have it! They didn’t need it! They were corrupted by it! Religion is a moralistic way of living and viewing life.

God did not in any way change because they ate of the Tree of Knowledge.

Man Changed!!!

His View Of Himself Changed

His View Of Others Changed

His View Of God Changed

Genesis 3:10 “‘Where are you?’ So he said, ‘I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.’” 

F ear  — I don’t trust you.    I  gnorance — I don’t know you.    G uilt — I’m no good.  

Victimisation / Condemnation / Blame 

Genesis 3:22,24 “‘… man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’ … So He drove out the man; …and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”

It is not a power figure imposing punishment on a subordinate for misbehaviour.

It is a loving Father desribing the natural consequences of eating the prohibited fruit.

The choice remains for every person:  Who do I trust? Who is in CONTROL?
God doesn’t want to control you.  He wants union and communion with you. He is your source!

1 Corinthians 6:17 “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”

Moralism:— the belief that the Gospel can be reduced to improvements in behaviour.

Galatians 2:21 “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

Morgan Guyton. “So we should not be pursuing the knowledge of good and evil when we read the Bible; that’s eating the same fruit that Adam and Eve ate. Instead we should be reading the Bible to discover the love of God that makes us more loving.

Sadly, too many Christians want knowledge rather than love because knowledge gives us a feeling of power. It makes us think we can be like God, exactly what the serpent tricked Eve into believing.

But knowledge itself, even perfect knowledge of good and evil, has no power to make us like God at all. It is love that makes us like God, and only God can be the origin of love; we can only be its recipients and conduits.”

Luke 8:9-14 “Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: … justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Study with group connected to and MRI 

Presented with things that you believe and agree with and  Pleasure centre is activated.

Presented with things that you disagree with and don’t believe and Amygdela flight or fight centre is activated.

Frontal lob becomes inactive.  Reason is gone.  Tribal emotionalism.

The cross of Jesus utterly destroys every self-righteous presumption. There is no greater intimidation to the knowledge of good and evil than the cross.      Rick Joyner

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